KW: How will the relationship with Mariana’s mother continue to evolve this season?

Cierra: I would definitely say that Mariana’s secrets will definitely come up and haunt her. She still has to go through what happened in all the betrayal and the lies and the secrets and it’s all going to come back and she’s going to have to deal with it. So, it’s not the last that you will see of her.

KW: Can you tell me a little bit about the reactions you’ve been getting from people about the themes of the show? What kind of things have you been hearing?

Cierra: The biggest reward I usually love as an actress is getting feedback and seeing different audience members relate to the character or the plot or anything like that and, thankfully, everyone has been so positive. People have found this very relatable and universal, so it’s really fun to hear lots of people’s stories and seeing how they can just interact with the show, so it’s been a blessing.

KW: What was your reaction to this story and the characters that were in it?

Cierra: I’m a sucker for mom and daughter stories. I love being able to relate to that and being in other people’s shoes. But I just was so drawn to the writing. I thought it was so real. Like I said before, it’s time that a show like this has been aired. I just fell in love with the script, every single one of the characters.I think they’re all amazing and people can really identify with their cleverness and their wittiness and I just think it’s great.

KW: Were you able to pick your character?

Cierra: No, I wasn’t able to choose. My auditioning process was actually very strange. I literally auditioned for the show the day I found out that the series I was on, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, was not getting picked up for another I put myself on tape. They were testing for the role of Mariana and I didn’t think I’d make it in time, but I later found out that I did get the role. So, it was really fast, but it was such a blessing to just hop on from one project to another.

KW: Could you talk a little bit about your character in your words for people that may have not yet watched The Fosters?

Cierra: Mariana is a 15-year-old girl. She’s very optimistic and with that comes a lot of curiosity, especially coming from a fostering background. She’s very curious in finding out about her background, where she comes from. So, she gets in contact with her birth mom and goes behind her parents’ back so she gets herself into a lot of the trouble and a lot of betrayal, a lot of secrets.

The cast of The FostersCourtesy of ABC

KW: What quality do you love about her?

Cierra: I love her wittiness. That’s one thing. I’m not very witty, so I can kind of live vicariously through her. She has very good comebacks. Whereas I would just kind of take it and put a smile on my face. But she’s very witty and veryfashionable and even though she does get herself into a lot of trouble, she does have a very good heart. So, I really love that about her.

KW: How is being on The Secret Life of the American Teenager different from The Fosters

Cierra: It’s very different in the sense that when I got on Secret Life it was already in its fifth season, so I was the newcomer with all of these people who had been bonding for four years and they were family, not only cast mates. So, it was a change, but everyone was so welcoming and so warm that I wouldn’t have really known any difference.But, it was actually really fun to go through the whole pilot experience with the cast of The Fosters. So, we’ve gone from the get-go and it’s really been fun.

KW: Is there ever a time with Mariana when you just kind of want to shake her and steer her in a different direction than she goes?

Cierra: Of course. But I do know, she’s 15, she’s growing, she’s going to make these mistakes and that’s what it’s all about. I know that she is a little bit more adventurous than other 15-year-olds may be, but she does have a very good heart. So, I know that no matter what she goes through it’ll all turn out well in the end. I am genuinely a fan of the show, so I love reading the different scripts, getting them, I just love it. I love getting to know what’s new with Mariana,

KW: Is her relationship with Jesus going to continue to improve or are there going to be more roadblocks for them?

Cierra: I think so, because she has kind of accepted the fact that he is dating her best friend and she’s going to have to deal with it, whether she likes it or not. She can’t let go of the few people that she loves. So, I definitely think that their relationship will get better.

KW: How do you define family?

Cierra: This show, in particular, definitely goes along with the ABC Family slogan, “A New Kind of Family”. And that’s definitely what I think it is. But family for me is someone, or it could be anyone; you don’t have to be related to them, just like in the show, but it’s someone or a group of people that will accept you no matter what, through thick and thin and will always be there for you and love you.

KW: How does it make you and your cast members feel that The Fosters has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the category of Best TV Breakout Show?

Cierra: We actually all found out together.The producers told us and we were all on set. We were freaking out, I mean, literally. It still hasn’t even really hit me. But I’m, along with the audience, I’m there voting. I’m voting every day. I’m very excited and I can’t wait to see what the outcome is. I’m just really excited no matter what.

KW: Does anyone on the cast plan on going to the Teen Choice Awards?

Cierra: I think everyone is. We’re all excited. Definitely.

KW: Could you talk a little bit about what it’s like working with Maia Mitchell, Jake T. Austin and the rest of the cast?

Cierra: They are just so amazing. They’re actually my reason to wake up every morning. It’s such a blessing to come to work with such amazing and talented people. I can’t stress that enough. It makes work fun. It’s not work. It’s constant laughter whenever we’re filming, on and off screen, so it’s just an amazing group of people and I’m so blessed to know them and work with them

Cierra on The FostersCourtesy of ABC

KW: Which episode is your favorite?

Cierra: I would definitely have to be a little biased and say the Quinceanera. Mainly because who wouldn’t love being dressed up for a whole week like that. I never actually had a Quinceanera, so I got to experience one through Mariana and it’s televised, so I mean it’s the best of both worlds. So, it was a really fun episode and the dance scene was probably my favorite.